JONESBORO, Ark. (10/31/26) – Arkansas State volleyball (15-8, 11-1 SBC) withstood strong competition from Troy (13-8, 8-4 SBC) and clinched the Sun Belt West Division title in a 3-2 (25-18, 23-25, 25-18, 23-25, 15-9) thriller on Saturday afternoon inside First National Bank Arena.
Calea Bush recorded her first career double-double with 11 kills on a .500 attack percentage and a career-best 10 total blocks including four solos. She became the first Red Wolf to record at least 10 blocks in a match this season and fueled the team to a season high of 17.
Devyn Lewis led the Scarlet & Black with 22 kills while
Erin Madigan recorded the seventh-most assists by a Sun Belt player in a five-set match this season with 54.
Mia Maloney posted a team-high 18 digs and five Red Wolves totaled 10-plus digs in the match. As a team, A-State totaled 66 kills on a .240 clip and added four service aces alongside 78 digs on the defensive side.
Set 1
A-State erased an early 4-1 deficit and took the lead on Madigan's first kill of the match in the 11th rally. The teams remained close through the technical timeout, as a kill by the opposition tied the contest at 15-15, but the Red Wolves would create separation beyond that point. Three errors in the next four rallies created a two-point advantage and Bush extended the lead with a kill plus a solo block.
The Scarlet & Black picked up five of the next six points, and a block by Bush and Collum secured the set and a 1-0 lead in the match.
Set 2
Troy opened an early four-point lead and carried it to a 21-17 score entering the 39th rally. A-State rallied with a 4-0 run fueled by two kills from Whitlock and two team blocks. Momentum stalled as the next two points went against the Red Wolves, and both sides alternated points until a kill for the Trojans evened the match at 1-1.
Set 3
A fast start for the Scarlet & Black faded before Lewis' 13th and 14th kills of the match fueled a 4-0 run that pushed the lead back to 14-9. The opposition narrowed the gap by one point over the next eight rallies, but Bush's second solo block of the match started a 3-0 run that created a 21-14 score. Troy countered with a 3-0 run of its own, but A-State negated the effort with another stretch of three consecutive scores to reach set point.
A service error cut the lead to 24-18, but
Haley Glunz answered with a kill to secure the set.
Set 4
A 5-1 run for the Trojans put the Red Wolves behind 9-7, and the deficit would last through nearly the entire set. Trailing 22-18, Bush and Collum teamed up for a block and Whitlock followed with a solo before back-to-back attack errors tied the score at 22-22. The rally effort would not be enough, as the opposition added three points in the next four rallies to force one more set.
Set 5
Bush and Collum combined for another block before the former added her ninth and 10th of the match in the following rallies to create a three-point advantage. Bush struck again with a kill in the 13th rally, and Whitlock added another before a set error extended the lead to 10-5. Troy was unable to mount a comeback bid, as the 21st and 22nd kills for Lewis ended the set and the match.
Next Up
A-State travels to Louisiana Tech for a weekend series on Nov. 6 and 7. The Friday match is scheduled for 6 p.m. and first serve for the Saturday contest is set for 1 p.m. Both matches will stream on ESPN+ and live stats will be available at AStateRedWolves.com/stats.
The Scarlet & Black return to Jonesboro for the home finale against James Madison on Nov. 13 and 14. Tickets can be purchased by clicking
here.
Social Media
Fans can follow the team on X (@AStateVB) and Instagram (astatevb) along with liking the Arkansas State Red Wolves Volleyball page on Facebook for the latest news and updates regarding the team.
